Dec 30 Cheers to this Champagne Mimosa Cake!

Happy 2017!!! Kick off the new year with a bit of bubbly in the form of cake. This tender, orange-scented cake smothered in sinking champagne buttercream, to be extract. Frilly decór is optional but definitely encouraged for any festive affair.

What feels like more than any other year, I keep seeing posts about how people wish 2016 would just end already. How they would like to kiss it good-bye and never look back. Perhaps I am seeing so much just do due to social media and its ability to give everyone a voice and platform. Regardless, it has got me thinking…. Sure every year has its own set of tragedies and hardships, but was 2016 worse than other years? Did the bad out-weigh all the good that happened? Will the same people praying for 2016 to end be saying the same thing 365 days from now? I truly don’t know the real answer…

2016 was not all bad, though. At least, for me personally, it was a pretty good one. It was the year my book was released into the real world, my husband secured a job that he loves more than we ever thought possible, and Everett transformed from a baby to a little human with personality, opinions of his own, humour, and kindness. Spending the holidays with our families is the most sacred time of year for me. I’ve always yearned for big family Christmases, and I am beyond grateful that most years (including this one), I get to spend the holiday with so many people that I love.

Waking up on Christmas morning with my most favorite people in the entire world means everything to me. Maybe that sounds childish or insignificant to some, but for me it is true. With our nieces and nephews being so much older and so far away, I worry that my children won’t get that quality cousin time that I hope they get to enjoy. Seeing my two nieces, ages 10 and 12, let Ev roll the dice for their board game, play with Dollar Store balloons like they were the most precious gifts of all time as Everett’s infectious laugh filled the room, and give countless hugs, kisses, and fist-bumps made my mommy heart explode. So while I kept seeing messages on my new feed that pretty much said good riddance to 2016, I was holding on to each day this past week hoping they would never end.

I get it though. A new year can feel like a fresh start. I know that’s what I was telling myself as I downed dozens of Christmas cookies and eggnog this past week. I will be healthier in 2017. I will exercise more in the new year. Come January, the world will be a better a place! While January 1st is just another day on the calendar, I understand why it seems like a good starting point for change. If it wasn’t for us humans, the world would still turn and the sun would rise and set like any other day. But especially after a month on indulgence, crazy travel schedules, and hard-core holiday celebrating, January 1st does seem like a good place to start over.

What are your resolutions for the new year? Mine typically start the same – eat cleaner, exercise more often, be present with my family, etc. This year, I want to add a few specifics. 2017 will be the year my life-long sourdough starter is born. It will also be the year that I finally use the mozzarella making kit that I begged for and received on my birthday the year that I was pregnant and never got around to opening. I was going to go buy myself some free weights this afternoon so I can do my workout videos in the living room, but then our flight got delayed and we had to stay in California another night. I don’t ever plan on being vegan or gluten-free, but I want to take more principals from those lifestyles and apply them to mine – more plant-based meals and less white flour. And if I am going to indulge in crabs (pizza dough, bread, cake, etc), it should come from my own kitchen or better be like really, really good and worth it. Funny how so many of my yearly resolutions revolve around food and how to keep eating sweets without being terribly unhealthy….

On that note, let’s ring in the new year with this Champagne Mimosa Cake! Tender, orange-scented cake with fizzy Champagne buttercream? Oh yes!! Here’s a little bit more of what I have to say about this stunning cake:

Better brunching is at the top of my 2017 resolutions list, so why not start right away with a New Year’s Day breakfast feast! Of course every good brunch kicks off with a mimosa and this cake incorporates those flavors into a sparkling sweet treat. Tender, orange sponge cake is smothered with silky champagne buttercream. The flavors pair together perfectly! No need for any other frills, except for the décor of course. Loopy ruffles give this cake extra festive flair and a sprinkling of gold is the perfect touch.